


Fate's Plan

by F1_rabbit



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Firefighters, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-26
Updated: 2015-11-26
Packaged: 2018-04-28 22:25:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5107859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/F1_rabbit/pseuds/F1_rabbit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Soulmate AU</p><p>(Please note the 'Major Character Death' tag. I don't want to upset anyone.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fate's Plan

They say that the eyes are the window to the soul. Appropriate, given that when you find your soulmate your eyes finally turn from dull greys to a beautiful colour. To see it happen is a truly beautiful process to behold, watching two souls combine, eyes glowing from the raw power of the universe before revealing their real eye colour.

In reality it was a bit strange for anyone watching, it looked like aliens were trying to posses their bodies, lights radiating from their eyes.

Nico was sitting on a crowded train, heading into work when he saw two women with glowing eyes. They'd both gone in to hold the same railing and their hands met, the lights in their eyes fading to reveal beautiful eyes. A tall woman with long blonde hair now had sparkling blue eyes to match her dazzling smile, and her soulmate, mesmerising hazel eyes that would hypnotise all who see them.

Nico couldn't help but think back to when he met his soulmate, Paul. He was studying at university, architecture, the course was difficult and he was a long way from home. Every night after his classes were finished he would reward himself with a burger and chips from the McDonald's nearby. There was often a softly spoken Scottish guy, who always had a smile for him. He used to pile extra chips into the bag for him after he saw how he much he enjoyed his food. It became routine to go in at least once a week, more if he needed cheering up.

Then one week Nico had been told that he was failing the Architectural History module, that he only had the weekend to rewrite his report, with more sources, or he would have to repeat the year. He couldn't afford to do the year again and the thought of having to move back home, admit defeat, that would have been unbearable.

So he'd gone to the one place that always cheered him up, McDonald's. Tears in his eyes, trudging through the cold rain, hoping that Paul would be working, for he always seemed to be there. As he entered the light shining on Paul's hair, combined with the rain on his glasses, made it look like he had a halo. His food providing saviour.

Nico scurried up to the counter, letting others go in front of him so that Paul had to serve him.

"I was wondering when you'd be back. The usual?" Paul said. Nico nodded in reply, scared his voice would break if he spoke. Paul punched it all into the till before getting the food; Nico watched as he snuck extra fries into the bag, and extra bacon onto the already huge burger.

"Thank you," Nico said, as he paid for the food.

"You looked like you needed cheering up." Paul put his hand out to rest on Nico's, the surge of energy flowing through them as their eyes shone. Nico had dropped to his knees with the sheer power of it, hunched over on the floor, waiting for his vision to clear.

His sight came back to him as Paul had run round to check that he wasn't hurt. When Nico opened his eyes he saw the most amazing pair of brown eyes, staring at him with an intensity he had never seen before, fascinated by Nico's equally beautiful eyes.

The rush of love, the sharing of souls had focused Nico, he had sat in the restaurant for hours, watching Paul, working on his coursework. Somehow the knowledge that he had found his soulmate, that there was someone to make proud, to be proud of, had cleared his mind of all his earlier worries. Four hours later, as Paul was wiping tables, getting ready to close for the night; Nico had finished his work, which would get an A, and was at peace with the universe for the first time in a very long time.

They hadn't rushed their relationship, both were busy with their courses. Taking the time to get to know each other was worth it and when they finally consummated their love, souls tangled together as they delighted in the feeling of pure bliss, it had been perfection. The second they graduated they had eloped to the south coast of France and got married. Nico couldn't imagine his life without Paul and he thanks fate, or destiny, or whoever controls soulmates that they didn't make him wait too long to meet his.

Nico felt a little sorry for all those without their soulmates, Esteban that he worked with always looked a bit sad when he and Jean-Eric talked about their soulmates. Not that they did it deliberately but soulmates were always a big part of their lives. And being a small company, where they were the only three architects, meant that they spent a lot of time together.

They were all good friends and they made sure to always include Esteban in things, inviting him to parties and other social events in the hope that he would meet his soulmate. None of them could have predicted what fate had in store for him.

"Who's going to check the Faezna site?" Nico asked, it was a new property that they'd been hired to renovate. An old factory that was going to be turned into apartments, but they would have to check out the site first, get measurements and see how much work needed done.

"Rock, paper, scissors?" Jean-Eric said. It should have been Nico that went to visit the site as he was the most senior of them all, and being a big project he should automatically have been in charge of it, but Jean-Eric was hungry to make his mark, prove that he was as good as the rest.

"Sure," Esteban said. They all put their hands out, smiling like children, happy with their lives.

"One… Two… Three…" Nico counted, he had no idea what he was setting in motion.

Nico and Esteban both kept their hands clenched in the rock position, but Jean-Eric had put his hand out flat like paper. He wrapped his hand round Nico's and Esteban's hand in turn, laughing as he did it. "I win!"

They said their goodbyes as Jean-Eric grabbed his coat and headed out to the site, smile on his face at the thought of being project leader on such a big job.

*****

"How's your new job?" Marcus asked. He was catching up with his old friend Kevin, they had gone to high school together and a quirk of fate had led to them working in the same city, in another country, hundreds of miles away from home.

"Good. Boss is nice. There's a cute guy, Dany, but he's not the one for me," Kevin said.

"That's good, pity about the guy though."

"He's got a mega crush on someone who's already found their soulmate." Kevin shook his head at it all, at how random soulmates were sometimes, and yet it worked. No matter how incompatible people seemed when they met, it always blossomed into a beautiful relationship, the universe gave you the person you needed, rather than wanted.

"Maybe I should come say 'hi' to him sometime?" Marcus laughed, if only it was that simple.

"You'll have to wait until the Christmas Party!" Kevin was looking forward to it already, it was going to be a good chance to meet other people, and maybe find his soulmate.

"I'm not in any hurry. All I want is someone who's nice and kind, to go to ice hockey matches with, maybe curl up on the sofa and watch movies." Marcus wasn't even bothered if were into ice hockey or not, just as long as they would be happy to come to the occasional match with him, that would be amazing.

"You never know, you might rescue your soulmate today!"

Marcus snorted before glancing the time. "Don't you have to be at work soon?"

"Fuck! I'll text you later!" Kevin said, he was rushing out the door of the coffee shop and heading down the street, late for work again.

*****

Paul was sat sipping his coffee, watching Dany flirt with Dan, even though the ship had long since sailed on that one. Dan's warm brown eyes shone like his smile, telling the whole world that he had found the one that he was destined to spend the rest of his life with. Dany's dull grey eyes were a big contrast to his sharp wit. Although Dany seemed happy to be friends with Dan with no chance of ever being 'the one'.

Kevin wandered in, late as always, but he was a hard worker so it never affected the dynamic and although they were part of a large company, Paul was in charge of a small group, just the four of them.

The sound of them tapping away at their keyboards was most of what filled their days, but they always found a way to chat in between.

"So how's Jean-Eric?" Paul avoided making eye contact with Dany as he asked this, but he and Dan have been friends for a long while and it was him that managed to set Dan and Jean-Eric up.

Kevin rolled his grey eyes at the talk of soulmates, before chatting away to Dany about his little brothers and sisters, complete with photos that his mum and dad had sent him.

"We're planning a trip to France, to visit Jean-Eric's parents… And we're going to tie the knot while we're there!" Dan didn't mean to shout the last part, not while Dany was in earshot but he was so excited at the thought of getting married that he couldn't help himself. But the look of pain on Dany's face was clear for all to see.

"Congratulations!" were yelled simultaneously, Paul and Kevin piled in for a hug, while Dany hung back and just patted Dan on the shoulder.

Dany excused himself and Kevin wandered after him, it was lunchtime and everything would have returned to normal by the time they came back from their break. Only Dany would remember the envy that he felt right now, brought to the forefront of his mind by events that were yet to come.

*****

Jean-Eric went to visit the Faezna site, he had the key for the lock and as he wandered in there was a thick layer of dust covering everything. The place had been empty for a long time but apart from the dust, it looked in good working order. He set about measuring the place with his laser measure, noting down the measurements. It was a good size place, would make for lots of apartments, which meant lots of money. There would have been a good bonus in it for him, which would have helped pay for the wedding.

He was climbing up the long set of rusty metal stairs to get to the upper level that had offices and locker rooms. They creaked as he wandered up them, swaying under the weight of him. He didn't notice that the bolts seemed to be loose and he was almost at the top when there was a sharp crack. Jean-Eric grabbed out for the railing but it was too late, the stairs were falling away from the platform with him still on them. The last thing that went through his mind was Dan, how handsome he would have looked on their wedding day and what an amazing dad he would have made.

It all went black when his head hit the floor. Even if there had been other people with him the trauma was too great to survive.

Nico and Esteban would get worried when he didn't come back around lunchtime. They called his phone several times but there was no answer, they assumed that he'd gone for lunch with Dan as he did sometimes when he was out of the office. But when it got to half two, long past the time that either them or DTM Software Solutions, where Dan worked with Paul, were allowed for their lunch.

They had thought about calling Dan, but they didn't want to worry him without having any answers so they got in the car and drove over to the site, hoping that everything would be alright, that Jean-Eric would just have got carried away and forgot about the time.

When they got the old abandoned factory the door was already open, which meant that Jean-Eric had to be there, he wouldn't have left it open. They all knew that empty properties were at high risk of vandalism and arson. The sight of all the old heavy machinery didn't reassure them at all, they began yelling out for Jean-Eric while searching the factory one step at a time. Esteban followed Nico scared that whatever might have happened to Jean-Eric could still be a threat to them.

Nico spotted Jean-Eric lying on the factory floor, the twisted metal stairs at his feet and a copious amount of blood surrounding him. They ran across to him but Nico could tell, even at this distance that it was too late.

Esteban felt for a pulse but there was nothing, he kept pressing, hoping that he would feel something. The tears were running down his face as Nico called for an ambulance, all Esteban could do is shake his head, unable to believe that this could have happened. He had spoken to Jean-Eric only hours ago, and now he was dead.

*****

Nico held Esteban as they sat outside the factory, tears ran down his face as he buried his head in Nico's chest. He held his glasses as Nico stroked his hair, soaking up the comfort while he could, knowing that he would have to go home to an empty apartment.

The police asked them what happened many times, noting it all down for their reports. It looked like the stairway had been marked 'do not use' but the sign was faded and dusty.

Nico had been the one to tell everyone at work, and then to make the awful drive across town to Dan and tell him what had happened, he didn't want him to have to hear it from a stranger. He was also wanting to see Paul, it was selfish and he knew it, but he needed someone to tell him that all these horrible feelings he had were okay, because then he wouldn't have to deal with them alone.

Once Dan and Paul were gathered in a little room, he forced the words out, "There was an accident on site. Jean-Eric was killed."

Dan looked at him with a sort of half smile, hoping that it was some kind of sick joke, but the second he saw the tears running down Nico's face he knew it was for real, that Jean-Eric was gone. His lungs burned and his heart pounded, the rest of his soul felt numb. There were tears running down his face and Paul held him tight as he cried.

"I'll take you home," Paul said. He ushered Dan out of the building, using the service elevator so they didn't have to talk to anyone.

Nico stood, alone, in a strange building, wondering what he should do. He remembered how upset Esteban was and sent him a text asking if he wanted to come over. Since Esteban lived alone, and was such a long way from home he didn't really have anyone apart from him and Jean-Eric. Nico cried again when he realised that all Esteban had was him now, he still couldn't believe that Jean-Eric was gone.

Paul didn't come home that night, he stayed with Dan until his flight out to France the next morning. Nico had let Esteban stay and they had curled up together in bed, Esteban's big grey eyes stained pink with all the tears. One day he would have the most amazing eyes, once he'd found his soulmate and his eyes took on their true colour.

Nico stroked Esteban's hair as he slept but he couldn't help wondering if it should have been him that died today, he should have went to the site. Tears ran down his face as he cried, trying not to make any sound so that he wouldn't wake Esteban.

He thought back on how Dan and Jean-Eric met, how happy they all were and he never imagined that it would be over so soon.

The party had been in full swing when Dan finally showed up, he held up the beers as a greeting before wandering towards the food. Jean-Eric was already standing there, picking at the crisps which had been left out.

"Bet you if I push Dan into Jean-Eric their eyes light up," Paul said, and a mischievous grin crept onto Nico's face.

Nico watched as Paul wandered up to Dan, slapping him on the back with such force that he stumbled into Jean-Eric. There was a flash of light, revealing two of the most beautiful pairs of brown eyes, Dan's warm and cheery, just like him, and Jean-Eric's earthier and focused.

Both stared at Paul as if to say 'how did you know?' But the bond between them was already evident, the look of fascination and admiration plain for all to see.

"How did you know?" Nico asked, as Paul sat back and watched with a smug grin on his face.

"Can't you just see it? That they'd be perfect together?"

The confusion on Nico's face made way to acceptance. "Jean-Eric could do with someone to cheer him up, and there's no-one cheerier than Dan."

"Exactly," Paul said. He patted his lap and Nico slung an arm around his shoulders as he sat down. Nico leant in for a soft kiss, nothing too showy since they had lots of guests around but a little bit more affection than the chaste kisses that were reserved for public places.

Nico's face was wet with tears as he remembered how sad Dan had looked today; he had never seen Dan without a smile of some sort, such a contrast to when he met Jean-Eric.

*****

Several weeks passed and things had settled back into a routine, but the loss still hung over them like grey clouds blocking the sunlight. Nico and Esteban had grown closer as they comforted each other, it seemed like Esteban was always around now, although Paul didn't mind.

Dan had shut everyone out after he got back from France, even Dany. And although things were civil at work, Dan didn't smile any more, didn't joke around or have a laugh. He just showed up, did his work and left.

Dany had started to notice the grey spots in Dan's eyes, they were slowly fading back to how they were before he met Jean-Eric, a horrible reminder of the loss he had suffered every time he looked in the mirror. But his attempts to reach out to Dan were all shut down, politely declined with a shake of the head. It hurt Dany so much to see Dan that way, he couldn't imagine the pain that he must have felt when he realised his soulmate was gone.

*****

"How's work?" Jolyon asked, he sipped at his tea as he waited for a reply.

"Good, I'm getting moved on to a new project next week," Stoffel said, his current team were okay, but he had ended up doing a lot of the work that others should have done. So it was nice to be moving to a team that apparently pulls their own weight, it would make work a lot less stressful for him and give him a bit of time for a social life.

Jolyon nodded, not sure of what to say. They had worked together for a while until Stoffel moved to a bigger company and they were also each other's 'sex without soul'. It was frowned upon by some people, those who thought that people should wait until they find their soulmate to have sex, but most people their age accepted it. After all they weren't hurting anyone with it, and they both knew that if the other found their soulmate that would be the end of it. They would always have their friendship.

Stoffel sat his mug down before taking Jolyon's cup and placing it on the table. He leaned in for a kiss, soft lips brushed against rough stubble. Jolyon's hand teased at the bulge in his jeans, checking to see if he was ready. The clothes flew off as they made their way to the bedroom, comfortable enough with each other that there was no awkwardness any more, just two people seeking a release of their sexual needs together.

It wasn't long before Stoffel was face down on the bed. Jolyon teased him with his tongue before he slid inside him. Stoffel was grasping at the sheets as he thrust away, his thick cock nudged his prostate and with the soft sheets rubbing against his cock, it wasn't long before he was moaning in delight. Jolyon's groans mingled with his to create a symphony of sensual noises.

They lay, panting and sticky while they both regained their composure. It was nice to cuddle for a while and then they watched a movie. Their relationship reverted to friendship mode, even though they were both still naked. Stoffel was grateful that neither of them ever got too attached, for it would have made things difficult when they eventually met their soulmates.

*****

"You'll be starting in Paul's team tomorrow, do you want to head up and meet them?"

The day was nearly finished for Stoffel, he'd completed all his work on this project and there was nothing further for him to do here. It would be nice to meet his colleagues, get all the introductions out the way so that they could start work straight away tomorrow. He said goodbye to all his current team, although he would still see them about the office and headed on up to the fifth floor.

Stoffel knocked on the door of their office, _his new office_ , but there was no answer. He peeked his head around the door to see four guys, all with headphones on, working away. Stoffel couldn't remember what Paul looked like, although he'd seen him around so he lurked in the doorway, hoping one of them would look up from their screen for long enough to notice him.

The blond haired guy was the first to spot him, he had a cheeky grin and there were lots of tattoos covering his arms. He held finger up, gesturing that he wouldn't be long, there was a bout of frantic typing, followed by him hitting the enter key with far more force and flair than required.

He wandered up to the door and introduced himself as Kevin. The rest of the team had noticed him by now and they were watching, waiting to see what was happening.

"I'm Stoffel." He put out his hand to shake and when their skin met all he could see was a blinding white light, it was so amazing that he fell forward into Kevin's arms, his heart beating fast and his breathing was ragged. When his vision returned he stood up to see the most piercing blue eyes staring at him.

He didn't even have time to take a breath before their lips were locked together, he was being pinned against the wall and Kevin's body was pressed against his. It would have been perfect if it wasn't for the audience.

Someone coughed and broke them out of their trance. Stoffel apologised but Kevin just smiled.

"I'm Paul. This is Dan and Dany and I see you've already met Kevin." The sarcasm was a little thick but Paul had seen the flicker of pain on Dan's face when he introduced him. "You must be Stoffel."

"Yes."

"Welcome to the team." Paul smiled and Dany laughed but Dan's smile was more like a grimace.

Dan slipped out while the others were talking, every time he saw new soulmates meeting he felt a stab of pain, like being punched in the stomach. Dan didn't like this side of himself, the part of him that was unable to be happy for those around him, it made him feel even worse. He kept telling himself that time would heal it but it didn't seem to be working, he missed Jean-Eric more than anything in the world and the knowledge that he would have to spend the rest of his life alone was torture.

*****

"I'm really happy for you! Your eyes are lovely." Jolyon gave Stoffel a kiss on the cheek, before picking up his cup of tea and sipping at it. Stoffel was a handsome guy even with his grey eyes but the steel blue eyes had given him a level of attractiveness that would be hard to rival.

"Thanks. You'll be next."

"Do you want to hang out? Watch a movie?"

"I'm meant to be meeting Kevin later," Stoffel said, it came out sounding like an apology but Jolyon knew this day would come sooner or later. He was pleased for Stoffel and seeing him so happy gave him hope that he'd find his soulmate. But it didn't stop him feeling a little envious. "We'll all have to meet up sometime, have dinner."

"I'd like that."

They agreed to meet up on Friday, Jolyon would bring the wine and Kevin was also going to invite his best friend, Marcus, so that he wouldn't have to be a third wheel. Stoffel told him that Marcus is also a film buff so they should get on well.

Jolyon liked the sound of that, with Stoffel going to be spending more time with Kevin it wouldn't hurt to have a few more friends.

*****

Dany wandered into the office to see Kevin already there, with Stoffel beside him. It was the first time that he'd seen Kevin in work on time in quite a while, although he always put the work in, he just wasn't an early morning kind of guy. Paul came in as he was boiling the kettle for coffee and chatted away to the new arrival, their eyes all shining out with vibrant colours for all to see.

The clock ticked away to ten o'clock and there was still no sign of Dan. Dany thought about calling him but he didn't know what to say, instead he asked Paul, "Where's Dan?"

"He called in sick today," Paul said, and although he tried not to look at Kevin and Stoffel when he said it, they both glanced in their direction.

They knew that Dan hadn't been coping well since Jean-Eric's death, but they had no idea that he was this bad.

"I'll check on him after work," Dany said, he couldn't bear the thought of him having to go through all this alone, and with Jean-Eric gone he wasn't sure how much support Dan had.

The rest of the day dragged on for Dany, the thought that Dan might have done something serious weighed on his mind and at half four, a good hour and a half before they were due to finish Paul said he could go. He had spent the whole day distracted anyway, fingers twisted together and leg jiggling, probably driving the others crazy without knowing it.

He rushed to Dan's apartment, hoping that he would be there and that he would still be alive. Dany knocked on the door with increasing force, he didn't care if he woke Dan up he just had to check that he was okay.

There was sound of movement from within the flat and Dany pressed his ear to the door. He stood back as the noises got closer to the door, he didn't want to scare Dan with how worried he was, so Dany took a deep breath and composed himself.

The door opened only a little way before the chain was fully stretched. "Dany?"

He wished that he brought borscht or something so that he would have an excuse to be here, but he knew that Dan wasn't ill in that way, although from the sight of him, some good food wouldn't have gone amiss. Dan looked scruffy and his skin was pale, no trace of his smile anywhere to be seen. His eyes were red as though he had been crying recently.

"Can I come in?"

Dan shut the door so that he could take the chain off, every second that the door remained shut Dany was worried that he wouldn't open it again but then it opened wide to reveal a messy flat. There were takeaway cartons and pizza boxes everywhere, clothes scattered over the floor and the air had that dusty, stale smell that suggested no cleaning had taken place in a while.

"Jean-Eric was the tidy one," Dan said, he broke down into tears just at the mention of his name. He slumped onto the sofa and buried his face in his hands. Dany sat next to him, prying his hands away and wrapping him up in his arms. He tried not to wrinkle his nose at the smell, focusing on comforting his friend.

"I think you need help." Dany cursed himself for choosing those words, they sounded so harsh, so judgemental but the sight of Dan like that had clouded his mind. "You know I'm here if you want to talk."

"I know mate. I'm just lost without him." Dan cried some more and Dany held him tight, stroking his hair and mumbling words of comfort in Russian, although they were more for him than Dan. When Dan finally looked at him, his eyes were grey apart from a few brown flecks, the only remains of his once dazzling eyes. "Thank you, for being here."

"What are friends for?" Dany said, and there was a slight hint of a smile on Dan's face, the faintest glimmer of the person he used to be shining through. "Let me run you a bath and I'll order dinner. Pizza okay?"

"Thanks mate."

Dany managed to clean the living room and kitchen while Dan was in the bath, he opened a few windows to let some air in, and the bright summer light instantly made the place feel cleaner.

The smell of pizza filled the flat and when Dan emerged from the bathroom, with clean clothes, he almost looked like his old self again. He sniffed at the air and a smile crept onto his face, Dan ran across to the sofa before jumping down next to Dany, he dived in for a slice of pizza and ate with alarming speed.

Dany put _Wreck-it-Ralph_ on, and then _Monsters, Inc._ on after that, they didn't talk but they just sat together, watching the films until it was nearly midnight. He offered to stay but Dan declined, told him to go home and get some sleep in his own bed.

"I'll see you at work tomorrow," Dany said, it was more of an order than a question but he wanted Dan to know that he would be missed, and that if he didn't come to work he'd be back on his doorstep pestering him.

"I'll see you there mate."

*****

Stoffel was a wonderful cook, which was a relief as Kevin was telling Jolyon all about how he managed to set the toaster on fire the other day. Kevin's phone buzzed and he read the message.

"Marcus isn't coming!" He yelled through to Stoffel who was still in the kitchen. "He works as a firefighter and someone called in sick so he's pulling a double."

"That's a pity." Jolyon was looking forward to meeting Marcus, Stoffel had definitely made him sound interesting and as much as he loves his little brother, he could really do with a few friends that are his own age. And who weren't always reminding him about all the embarrassing things he did as a child.

The rest of the dinner went well, Stoffel and Kevin were clearly meant to be together, although that is the very definition of soulmates. Even though they had only been together for a couple of weeks they were already very comfortable with each other, little teasing remarks flew back and forth, and they were affectionate. A little too affectionate for Jolyon's liking but he was not one for public displays of intimacy.

*****

Dany was waiting in the car park outside the community centre near Dan's flat, it was where the local bereavement support group met. Dan had been going for a couple of weeks now and it seemed to be helping him cope with everything.

They had planned to go over to Paul and Nico's place for dinner, to get Dan out and socialising a bit more. Although Dany had to make sure that it was on a night that he knew Kevin and Stoffel couldn't make, as they were the kind of couple that were overly affectionate in public, and he didn't think either of them had realised how much it was hurting Dan.

The evening went well, Dan seemed to be back to his cheery self, for a while anyway and when Dany saw that his smile was slipping he made excuses for them. Since he was Dan's ride it got him out of there without Dan having to feel bad about it. Dan used to be one to party all night and he didn't want anyone to see that he wasn't up to it any more. Although his grey eyes were a stark reminder that he wasn't quite the man he used to be.

When he dropped Dan off, he was invited up for a coffee. They had been spending more and more time together lately and Dany was aware that his feelings for Dan had grown into something more than friendship, but he wasn't his soulmate.

Dan gave him a kiss on the cheek when he left and it all felt so natural that Dany couldn't understand how the universe wouldn't let them be together.

*****

"I'm so happy for you! Your eyes are amazing!" Marcus hugged Kevin, he looked stunning with his bright blue eyes. It wasn't a surprise that they were blue but the particular shade was so deep, like the ocean.

"Thank you. You'll find yours soon. I can feel it."

"So are you coming to the concert tonight?"

"No, I've got plans with Stoffel. But his friend Jo said he'd take the ticket."

"What does he look like?"

"Tall, lanky, English."

"An English guy in England. He should be easy to spot." Marcus sighed, he could see Kevin was lost in the haze of having found his soulmate, and he wanted to be happy for him. He was happy for him, but he was still a little envious that he hadn't found his soulmate yet.

"He said he'd meet you at the arch? And a Swedish guy in England is much easier to find!"

Marcus laughed, but it wouldn't be the same without Kevin, he was great company at gigs, even if he was accident prone. Last time he'd managed to break his wrist in a mosh pit. So maybe having someone else to go with wouldn't be a bad idea, at least this way he stood a chance of seeing the whole concert from somewhere other than the first aid tent.

*****

Dany was cooking dinner for Dan, he'd invited him round for dinner and a movie, just two friends hanging out. Except he knew that wasn't true, his feelings for Dan ran deeper than that, he could feel it in his soul and he was going to tell him everything tonight.

Dinner was a lot of awkward small talk, although Dany's frequently described as 'strange' by colleagues so it was all written off as jokes that were only funny to Dany. He wanted to just tell him how he was happy just to be near him; that every minute they spent together was perfection to him and that he wanted nothing more than to wake up next to him every morning.

Dany put on a film but he was aware that he was watching Dan a lot more than he was watching the movie. Dan eventually looked at him. "Do I have something in my teeth?"

His big grin shone out and Dany wanted to say something funny in reply but his heart was pounding. Dany knew that this was his chance to tell him, that he couldn't hold it in any longer. "I really like you."

"I really like you too, mate."

Dany sighed, he didn't really think through what he was going to say. "I want to be with you."

"Mate, we're not soulmates. It wouldn't be fair on you. You deserve to find them, be with them."

Dan's pitying smile felt like a stab in the heart but he had to get it all out. "I feel like we're already soulmates, no matter what colour our eyes are." Dany went in for a kiss, at first it was just a touch of the lips but Dany ran his fingers through Dan's curls, bringing them closer together as the kiss got more forceful, more passionate.

Dan's strong hands end up lifting Dany onto his lap, little moans escaping from both of them as their bodies pressed together. The kiss felt like it would go on forever, time lost all meaning to Dany and he ended up breathless and gasping. He broke the kiss and sat back to look into Dan's wonderful brown eyes. At first he thought it was a trick of the light, him seeing what he wanted to see but Dan was staring at him with fascination. Dan's thumb brushed over his cheek as he looked deep into his eyes.

"Mate, you have the most beautiful eyes."

Dan was stunned by the vast array of colours in Dany's eyes, an amazing mix of greens, blues and browns that made him look like a galaxy of stars were captured in his eyes.

*****

Marcus had been standing for over half an hour waiting for Jo, but there was no sign of him. He'd either got the wrong arch or he wasn't coming. He wished that he'd asked Kevin for his number so that he could call him.

Instead he decided to call Kevin and ask what was going on. He sighed when he was told that Jo had been caught late at work and was now stuck in traffic. Jo had said that he should just go in without him and Marcus was torn between seeing what Jo looked like and seeing the start of the gig. In the end the gig had won, but he made a mental note to encourage Kevin to arrange something where he could meet Jo, since he was more than a little curious about him now.

*****

Paul came home from work to find Nico and Esteban already there. He felt sorry for Esteban, not having anyone else to talk to or to comfort him. It had been a hard time on all of them but he was so grateful that he had Nico and that they supported each other through all the difficulties life threw at them. As much as he tried to be a good friend to Esteban, he was sure that his soulmate would be able to do a much better job of it.

Esteban was feeling guilty about always intruding on Nico and Paul. Paul crouched down to take Esteban's hand, told him that it's all okay. Esteban reached out to Nico, needing the comfort of his closest friends.

There was a flash of light and Esteban's eyes were glowing, both Paul and Nico felt their vision cloud momentarily, but they saw enough to know that Esteban's eyes were shining bright, as they would when he found his soulmate.

Paul looked at Nico with confusion, his mouth open as though he was going to speak but no words came out. Nico spoke first, "We touch all the time at work, so… You must be his soulmate?"

They were both staring at Esteban's eyes, unable to look away from the warm brown glow. His brow was furrowed and he looked scared, unsure of what it all meant.

"It can't be me. I had to carry your almost naked body to the shower a couple of weeks ago, after you got really drunk while watching the football." Paul nearly laughed but the circumstances were not great, Esteban had a couple of beers, but then as the memories of Jean-Eric had surfaced he'd started putting them away and by the time either of them had noticed he was already very drunk. They'd put him to bed but he'd thrown up everywhere and Paul had been the one to get him to the shower and clean everything up. He wasn't sure if Esteban would have remembered it.

Nico's attention was caught by the deep ring of brown surrounding Paul's eyes; it had never been there before, it must have just appeared. His mind was running away with all the implications of this and he sprinted to the bathroom, staring at his eyes until he noticed the flecks of brown at the centre of his irises. Nico's eyes were always pure blue, until now.

"My eyes have brown spots! We're both your soulmates." Nico had a huge grin on his face as Paul and Esteban came to terms with it all.

Paul moved up onto the sofa next to Esteban, they had left enough space for Nico to sit beside them. Once Nico had joined them Esteban just looked between them with a bemused look on his face, not yet able to believe that he had not only found his soulmate, _soulmates_ , but that they were two of his closest friends.

They were cuddled together for a long while, stroking and comforting the others until Esteban could bear it no longer. Nico's lips were so close to his own, they looked soft and moist and plump and he wanted them so badly that he dived in for a kiss, it felt amazing to have Nico pressed against him. Esteban gasped when Paul started to kiss the side of his neck, it was all too much for him and he moaned out loud.

Nico broke the kiss, worried that something was wrong but when he saw the look of contentment on Esteban's face he knew all this was leading to one place. He picked Esteban up, giving him a chance to wrap his legs around his waist before carrying him to the bedroom. Paul followed, his eyes were black with lust and he was licking his lips in anticipation.

Nico sat Esteban down on the edge of the bed, he was fidgeting with his watch and he looked nervous. Paul could feel the unease and reached out to stroke his hair, he nuzzled into his hand and Paul whispered, "We could just curl up and make out."

There was a sigh of relief from Esteban but he still didn't look entirely happy.

"Or you could watch us fuck," Nico said. Esteban's eyes lit up at the suggestion and Nico dragged Paul into a messy kiss, lips clashing and filthy moans that went right to Esteban's already hard cock.

Esteban watched with fascination as they removed each other's clothes with practiced ease, their familiarity with each other evident and it made Esteban feel like an intruder. He sat fidgeting as the clothes fell to the floor. Paul dropped to his knees and began to suck at Nico's enormous cock and Esteban gagged for him as he took all of it into his mouth, working away until Nico was on the brink of orgasm.

When they were finished they both turned to kiss Esteban, taking turns until all the anxiety had left his body. The taste of Nico on Paul's lips had him moaning for more, and Paul took the opportunity to slide Esteban further up the bed, so he was level with Nico's perfect arse as he arranged himself on all fours, waiting for Paul.

Esteban stared as Paul used his tongue to open up Nico, he never could have imagined that he would have found this arousing but seeing how Nico responded to every tiny lick, every touch of Paul's tongue had his cock pressing against the zip of his jeans and he couldn't help but unbutton them. He shoved his hand down into his pants, stroking himself through the stretched material of his boxers.

Paul decided that Nico was ready when he saw Esteban biting his lip and trying to get himself off. He took his spare hand and sucked on Esteban's fingers before leading them to Nico's already slick hole. They slid their fingers inside him at the same time, Nico writhed on the bed and grasped at the sheets as they worked away in tandem.

"Oh god. There." Nico said, his words slurred and breathy.

He kept moaning for more as Esteban nudged that spot, bringing him to orgasm. The way he clenched around him felt strange, like the blood was being squished out of them by Nico's powerful muscles.

Nico shuddered as Esteban ran his fingers over his sensitive tip, scooping up the come and tasting it, sweet and salty and bitter and wonderful all at the same time.

Paul lined his cock up; he glanced at Esteban while he thrust into Nico, knowing that he had an audience made him put on a show. He worked hard to make sure Nico came for a second time, spurting everywhere and he slung his head back as he climaxed. Esteban rushed in for a kiss, holding Paul as he went limp with the overwhelming power of his orgasm.

All was quiet for a minute until Nico mumbled something into the pillow. When neither Paul nor Esteban said anything he repeated his request.

"Esteban, I want you inside me."

Paul lay down on the bed next to Nico, rolling him onto his back, he wanted Esteban to see just how gorgeous Nico looked when he came. It was always a sight to behold, watching that calm and confident outer layer melt away to reveal a needy mess, that begged for cock.

Esteban fumbled his way out of his clothes, impatient and spurred on by the sight of Nico's slick hole waiting for him. He slid in easily, and yet he was so warm and tight around him. After a couple of thrusts Esteban felt his orgasm building, he bit his lip trying to stave it off, control himself but Nico's beautiful body beneath him was more than he could resist. Paul wrapped his hand around Nico's cock when he saw that Esteban was close, and he managed to stroke Nico to his third orgasm of the night as Esteban came inside him.

He collapsed on top of Nico in a dizzy heap, exhilarated and drained but so blissfully happy to have his soulmates close. Trinary groupings were rare but not unheard of and there had been reports of septernary groupings, seven people who were all soulmates with each other, but the binary grouping was the most common.

Paul ran a bath for them all, even though it was a large tub it was still a bit of a squeeze for the three of them, and the same for their bed. As they lay dozing, content in each other's company, Nico and Esteban planned their new house, it started as a serious discussion but when Paul heard mentions of a bowling alley he knew they'd strayed into fantasy land.

"We're going to have to get our marriage certificate updated," Paul said, he was thinking out loud more than anything but Esteban's reaction was pure joy.

"Only if you're happy with that," Nico said, it was still all new to them and he didn't want to pressure Esteban.

Esteban squealed with happiness, wrapping Paul's arms further round him and pulling Nico closer. "Yes!"

*****

_All Night Horror Movie Madness!_

Marcus looked at the ticket with some trepidation, even though he knew he would be coming alone when he bought the ticket, the thought of actually going alone filled him with sadness. All the other years Kevin had come with him and they'd brought enough snacks to feed a small army along with comfy pyjamas and fleecy blankets. Marcus has all that stuff packed up and ready to go but it wasn't going to be the same on his own.

He dithered for a while about whether to go or not, and in the end he came to the decision that he was never going to let being alone stop him from doing anything. Because he'd left it so late he ended up rushing to the cinema and got in just in time to see the first film. There was only one seat left, it was always a sell-out, and it was one of the seats that was meant for two, more like a small couch for lovers.

Marcus slipped into the seat while the organiser was introducing the film. It gave him a few valuable minutes to open his sweeties and he offered one to the guy next to him. Grey eyes. Although from the dark hair he'd expect him to have warm brown eyes.

"Thank you."

"Varsågod." Marcus was tired and he had answered in Swedish without even realising it, but the guy's eyes had gone wide.

"Är du svensk?"

Marcus was stunned into silence, did the guy just ask him if he was Swedish? It was so rare to find anyone who spoke Swedish here that he'd ended up only using it when he called home. He didn't speak for such a long time that it was starting to get weird. "Hi."

"I'm Jo, it's nice to meet you." Jolyon knew a little bit of Swedish from a year spent studying abroad, it was a few years ago now and he'd forgotten a lot of it, so he was glad that they spoke English. But the way the man was staring at him was starting to make him feel slightly uneasy.

"Marcus."

"Do you kn-" They had both started to speak simultaneously before laughing.

"Kevin and Stoffel. Did they put you up to this?" Jolyon asked.

"No. I come here every year."

Jolyon put his hand out to shake just as the lights were going down for the film. He covered his eyes and Marcus did the same, and as their skin met his vision went white, the familiar music at the start of Re-Animator blared out as his vision cleared, they would have to wait to see what colour their eyes were. Marcus cuddled under Jolyon's arm, and he wondered what colour Marcus' eyes would be. Although it didn't matter to him what colour his eyes turned out, the important thing was that he had met his soulmate, who was the organised type and had brought his favourite sweeties to the cinema.

*****

Sometimes we don't know what life has in store for us. But that's okay. I do. I'm fate, and I've got it all planned out for you.

**Author's Note:**

> *and obviously none of this actually happened, it is all a figment of my twisted imagination ;)


End file.
